Safety-pin.



No. 672,l66. -Patnted Apr. l6, l90l. E. GEB'HABDT.

SAFETY PIN.

(Application filed Jan. 13, 1901.)

No Model.)

THE Noizms PETERS on. mcrou'ma, WASHINGTON o c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN GEBHARDT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SAFETY-PIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 672,166, dated April 16, 1901.

Application filed Januaryd 8, 1901. Serial No. 43,808. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LEDWIN GEBHARDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Pins, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to devices for locking the end of pins for garments against any possible displacement; and it consists of the certain novel construction and arrangement of lock to be hereinafter particularly pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a safety-pin with my improved lock therefor. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the lock with the pin locked in place. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the lock with the pin open. Fig. 4 is a similar View of the lock with the pin in the act of being locked.

A represents a front plate of any sort of a garment-pin, breastpin, or the like, and B the pin for attaching same to the garment. Attached to the back of the front plate of the pin, near the pin-point, are a pair of jaws a b, and pivoted near the base of the longer and outer one of these jaws at c is the catch O. This catch has a short inner memberd and a longer curved outer member 6, the catch being shaped so that when in its locked position its curved portion shall coincide with the shape of the two fixed jaws and so that the outer curved portion shall close the open space between the jaws.

For convenience in assembling the device the jaws a b are bifurcated and the catch 0 is pivoted between the bifurcations, as shown in Fig. 1. When this catch is open, as shown in Fig. 3, and the pin has been inserted in the garment, the outer end of the pinis pressed down between the jaws a b and coming in contact with the inner short member (1 of the catch, as shown in Fig. 4, the catch is at once thrown over into the position as shown in Fig. 2. In this position no accidental movement can possibly displace the pin. The pull of the pin-point outwardly or to the right brings the pin-point against the outer end of the jaw b, and consequently thereis no effect upon the catch. A pull in the other direction of the pin-point only tends to lock the catch more securely. The only way that the pin can be released is to press the pin-point toward the front plate and then push the catch O to the right, when the path between the fixed jaws a b will be unlocked and the pin can be removed. No movement of the pin itself can remove the catch. For convenience in throwing off the catch I provide therefor a short arm f. When the pin is attached to the garment, the pressure of the goods of course tends to hold the catch down in its locked position and the lock becomes an absolute safeguard against any displacement of the pin except when it is desired to remove it by the two movements that have been above described.

To prevent the catch being thrown too far over when opened, a convenient stop is arranged on one of the jaws. In the device as illustrated the inner end, of the bifurcation in the jaw 19 forms this stop.

The arm f, attached to the catch 0, in addition to serving as a handle to throw open the catch, is extended out far enough to serve as a guard for the point of the pin and to prevent injuring the fingers when it is sought to throw off the catch. This is especially useful in the case of small pins, where the parts are-necessarily small and where without this protection to the pointone would be almost sure to pierce the fingers when seeking to open the catch.

A point of considerable importance to be noted in my construction is that the pivotal point of my catch O is near the base of the longer jaw, and that when the catch is closed the end of the catch only comes to the upper end of the shorter jaw and that the curve of the catch when closed is from the longer to the shorter jaw. It results from this construction that if the pin is open and the catch looked a mere pressure of the pin against the downwardly-curved outer surface of the catch will be sufficient to throw the same to allow the pin to be locked in place. In other words, while I have dispensed absolutely with the use of any springs, my catch will work automatically.

The user does not have to see to it that the catch is open in order to lock the pin. The pin is merely inserted in the goods in the usual way and then pressed home between the jaws. If the catch happens to be closed, the pressure of the pin will throw it open, as its pivotal point is near the base of the longer jaw, and inasmuch as the catch only extends to the upper edge of the shorter jaw a very slight displacement from its locked position will be sufficient to permit the entrance of the pin between the jaws. This matter is one of great importance, because in pins of this kind very frequently the parts have to be made quite small and a pin which will lock automatically saves a great deal of time in adjustment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a lock for safety'pins, a pair of jaws of unequal length, and a catch pivoted near the base of the longer jaw and curved to extend downward from the longer jaw to the upper end of the shorter jaw when the catch is closed, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a lock for safety-pins, a pair of jaws of unequal length, and a catch pivoted near the base of the longer jaw, said catch being curved to coincide with the base and longer jaw, and to extend downward from the longer jaw to the upper end of the shorter jaw when the catch is closed, and when open the short arm of the catch extending between the jaws, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a lock for safety-pins, a pair of jaws of unequal length, and a catch pivoted near the base of the longer jaw and curved to extend from jaw to jaw when the catch is closed, with arm on the catch for opening same, extending out with the pin to protect the pinpoint, substantially as shown and described.

EDWIN GEBI'IARDT.

IVitnesses:

GEORGE E. WEIDLER, W. S. KYLE. 

